ICE President Tim Broyd discusses the value of the Institution of Civil Engineers, its membership and why we need your support to continue this work.
ICE last month published its annual report and looking through our achievements across 2016 makes me immensely proud to be President of an organisation with such a vibrant membership.
The value that ICE membership brings
We are perhaps unique in that our members benefit from a range of services to support them throughout their career.
At the beginning of their journey we provide the help and support people need to become qualified as a chartered or incorporated engineer, or engineering technician.
As engineers progress we offer access to ICE’s unrivalled technical knowledge, helping them to be the best at what they do. Our extensive events programme provides more knowledge and access to networking opportunities. Our thought leadership work gives members a chance to engage with the big issues shaping our profession and the society we serve.
And thanks to our close relationship with government and industry leaders, we use this knowledge and thought leadership to shape the infrastructure agenda, helping decision makers reach informed judgements while ensuring that the voices of civil engineers are heard.
We are able to do this in no small part thanks to you, our members, whose industry insight, knowledge and passion affords us an unrivalled pool of expertise upon which to call.
Key successes that ICE delivered in 2016
2016 was a tremendously successful year for ICE. We launched our flagship National Needs Assessment, a rigorous 30 year analysis of the UK’s changing demands for infrastructure. We also delivered our widely acclaimed ‘Shaping Hong Kong’ report to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government and produced ‘Manifestos for Infrastructure’ ahead of elections for the devolved administrations.
Our Bridge Engineering exhibition, featuring a world record-breaking LEGO bridge, attracted over 13,000 visitors, helping to inspire the next generation into the profession.
We launched our Associate Member grade for allied professionals working in civil engineering that I believe will bring a vast amount of knowledge and insight into ICE.
We agreed four new corporate partnerships that means all civil engineering graduates from AECOM, Amey, BAM Nuttall and Skanska will follow the ICE Training Agreement route to professional qualification.
Aspiring young civil engineers were also on our horizon as we signed academic partnerships with four univeristies and at a much younger age level participated in the Big Bang Fair and Tomorrow’s Engineers week, inspiring young people to take up STEM subjects.
We also engaged with the Trailblazer apprenticeship programme in England and the development of apprenticeships in Northern Ireland. In Scotland we are helping the Apprenticeship Advisory Board to develop new standards.
We offered a huge range of knowledge content online and in person. In total delivered over 800 knowledge events across the UK and almost three recorded lectures every week, many of them free of charge.
You can see from all this that ICE does a great deal to support our industry and those who work in it. But we would not be able to deliver these achievements without your support.
How you can help support ICE
Society still faces a raft of challenges from climate change to population growth and as civil engineers we are at the forefront of tackling these issues. As ICE celebrates its 200th anniversary in 2018 it is more vital than ever that we receive the funding we need to help us continue this work.
This year, as we do every three years, we will ballot members on subscription rates. The ballot will take place in June and your Council is seeking a small 3% rise to the annual subscription rate. I hope that you will join me in voting ‘yes’ and in doing so, help drive forward this vital work.
